UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES OPENS AT FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
ORGANIZATION HEADQUARTERS IN ROME

Rome, 20 April --- The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
has opened a regional office at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), according to an FAO announcement released today. Attending
last night's inaugural ceremony were: UNOPS Executive Director Reinhart Helmke,
FAO Deputy Director-General David Harcharik and the President of the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Fawzi H. Sultan.

FAO made office space available to UNOPS under a broad cooperation agreement
signed between the two organizations earlier in the year. The Rome office
is the latest in a series of decentralized offices and outposts established
by UNOPS over the last five years aimed at "facilitating interaction with
its clients" and being closer to its operational activities.

According to FAO, "This represents an important step towards the strengthening
of cooperation between UNOPS and FAO."

UNOPS provides development services for implementation of projects undertaken
by UN Member States. Its services include project management, and implementation
of components of projects under execution by other organizations of the UN
system or by national institutions. It also provides project supervision
and loan administration services on behalf of international financial
institutions and management services for multilateral, bilateral and
beneficiary-financed projects. UNOPS is financed entirely through the revenue
it collects for services rendered.

The new UNOPS Rome office will initially service a large programme of work
with IFAD, as well as a number of activities funded by the Italian government.
UNOPS' presence in Rome is expected to be instrumental in developing the
service's partnership with other important UN organizations and other bilateral
and multilateral development partners, interested in using UNOPS' services
in the Mediterranean and Eastern European area.

Headquartered in New York, UNOPS had a long association with the United Nations
Development Programme. Since 1 January 1995 it has been under the purview
of the UN Secretary-General